Now that one made me lol. While watching a game between the Bosox and the Tigers, Detroit first baseman Prince Fielder hit a weak ground ball towards the Boston third baseman-- except there wasn't a third baseman, because the Bosox had employed the "shift" when Fielder came to bat. By the time somebody had finally fetched the ground ball, Fielder had chugged his way to first base. The TV announcer said Fielder had "legged-out" an infield hit. I laughed.
Prince Fielder legging-out an infield hit is likely akin to a semi with a full load of lumber winning a quarter-mile race at a dragway. It's theoretically possible if it's competition is, say, a solar-powered locomotive on a cloudy day -- but I wouldn't exactly bet on it happening very often.
Fielder got his "single" for one reason only. The "shift". The opposing 3rd baseman was in the shortstop position. The shortstop was in the 2nd base position. The 2nd baseman was playing a shallow right field. Any other time such a ball would have been an easy out.
David Ortiz (Big Papi) of the Bosox knows this all to well. Like Fielder, he's a left-handed batter, big, slow, and a dead-pull hitter, Everybody puts the shift on against Big Papi. Many times, both of them have cracked a sharp ground ball to right field for a hit -- but it's not a hit. The 2nd baseman is there to field it and throw them out.
Which begs a question. Where is it written in stone that these guys can't learn to bunt once in a while? If they pushed one down the third base line and nobody's home, they could belly crawl or moon walk to first base. For that matter, if they were playing on turf and bunted it firmly, the ball might roll into left field -- and nobody's home there either. The outfielders are all swung around to the right side as well. By the time somebody finally got to the ball, even diesels like Fielder and Ortiz could easily be standing on second base with a double -- on a bunt. We all know they can both hit home runs, but what's so terribly wrong with learning something new? Isn't that what "spring training" and batting cages are for?
But oh my, those wacky announcers. Later in the game, Ortiz smacked a double to the wall maybe a couple feet left of straight-away centerfield. Unbelievably, some clown said hitting the ball the "other way", as in to leftfield, is what Ortiz has done his whole career.
My jaw dropped. Say what? Is that why everybody has put the shift on him since like forever? Who are these idiots and what have they been watching? I half-expected them to trot out a corny cliche like "having a flair for the dramatic".
And sure enough, a few innings later when Ortiz hit his second homer of the night -- they indeed said it. I didn't know whether to laugh, cry, throw up, or run around the block naked with my hair on fire.
Some of these announcers are amazing at times. Also clueless. I'm thinking some hitter could walk into the batter's box, pull out a gun and shoot both the catcher and home plate ump between the eyes, then drop his pants and defecate on home plate -- and the announcers would cheerily say the same thing.
He seems to have a flair for the dramatic.
Pitiful.
But I still maintain these guys should learn how to bunt, if only once in a great while. They'd only have to do it 3-4 times and then the opposing defenses would be convinced and have to play them more "honestly". No more shift -- which would be to the advantage of guys like Fielder and Ortiz.
Hey. Most other hitters work on it occasionally, and if even (NL) pitchers can do it -- how hard can it be?
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